The authors document a decline in the usefulness of accounting information from 1977 to 1997. This decline appears to be related to the degree of change experienced by a company. The rate of change increased during this period, and companies experiencing the greatest change also had the greatest decrease in the value of accounting information. The authors conclude that the accounting system should capitalize expenditures on intangibles that meet a threshold based on prospects for success. The authors also propose that accountants revise financial statements in a process similar to GDP revisions.